See you Across the Sea
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: I write these words with a heavy hand, knowing that they will be my farewell. I cannot hope to convey my feelings, nor how much I loved you but I will try. I pray that time will heal the wound of my passing, siha. ShepardxThane. Oneshot. Character Death.


**A/N: *Bawls* Why Thane, why! For those of you who have not played ME 3 yet, do not read this! I bawled my eyes out when it happened! He's dead! Dead! I had to write something, just a swift little oneshot for those of you who have yet to reach this part, in memory of our favorite assassin-turned-hero. May you rest in peace, Thane! I OWN NOTHING! THIS IS PROPERTY FROM THE STORY! NOT MIIIIIIIINE!**

_"The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone."_

_~Thane Krios_

**See You Across the Sea**

_Siha,_

_I write this with a heavy hand, knowing you will read this letter when I am no longer able to share my thoughts. I am dying, Siha. Perhaps because of the differences between our species, I can hope that time will treat you with kindness and dim the hurt of my passing to faded recollections that a drell would forever remember with perfect clarity._

_Selfishly, however, I could not leave this world without leaving a piece of me behind that would never fade._

_I once accepted my fate. Nothing remained but a shell destined to die. I only had to choose the when and how of my passing. I had refused to be confined to a bed, gasping horribly as my life beeped away to machinery I had no use for. I thought of my Irikah, broken, bloodied, and betrayed by my absence. Of Kolyat, small and afraid, bravely pushing at his eyes to stem the flow of tears I had entrusted to him to cry... for both our sakes._

_The expectation to move swiftly to my end vanished upon uniting with your cause. You awoke me, Shepard. My heart quickened its sluggish beat if only to remain at your side and protect you with everything that I am. I was content to simply watch, take the time left given and praise all I know for allowing me to walk my final days with hope and certainty that I am worthy of more than my cold isolation, solely because you believed._

_I love you. If all else whispers back into the tide, know this for fact. By grace given me by the Goddess Arashu, I bid her divine protection to you, my warrior-angel, my Siha, to succeed in your destiny. To light your path through the coming darkness. To give you hope, when all seems lost._

_I will await you across the sea._

_~Thane._

Shepard stared at the message a moment longer, committing every syllable to memory. This was it, then. The last thing she had to remember him by. The only piece of evidence of her beloved. With trembling fingers she finally closed the message. The screen winked out, leaving her cabin darkened once more. Empty. Just like her heart. She'd tried to be strong for him, just as she'd been at his bedside in his final moments. She'd been strong for him. For the team. For the sake of the galaxy.

But Shepard wasn't strong.

She was weak.

In the wake of his death, she felt like a little girl; helpless and powerless to do anything. Anything at all. He was gone. That disease had slowly stolen him away from her was not enough; Cerberus had to deal the final blow and end his life while she looked on. _Kai Leng._ That had been his name. The name of the man who'd ruthlessly stabbed Thane as she looked on from the sidelines_...so stupid!_ She'd rehashed the scenario countless times in her mind, thinking what she'd done, what she could have done, and what she'd shouldn't have done, anything to prevent his end.

They all ended with his death. With Thane's death. For a time, she'd wanted nothing more than revenge. But then, as she stood over Kai Leng's prone form, as she removed a pistol from his mouth, there had been only emptiness. With time, that emptiness had faded, replaced by a deep, numbing ache. She'd slain the murderer of her beloved. She'd taken her revenge. But what more was there to live for? Cerberus had to be stopped. The Reapers had to be stopped. And Shepard, of course, would be the one to do it. She'd rally her team, lead them against all odds, to victory. She'd survived one suicide mission, who was to say she'd wouldn't endure another.

There was only one problem.

Shepard wanted to die. She wanted to save everyone of course; needed to purge the galaxy of the Reaper threat once and for all, but after that? Assuming she survived? She wanted to die. She was willing to succumb to her injuries, not physical of course, but mental, of all the lives she'd borne on her shoulders, all the death's she'd suffered through for the sake of peace. So many had died, so many friends had been lost to the abyss because of her mistakes...

Mordin.

Miranda.

Legion.

_And now Thane._

She was just one woman, and his death brought that realization crashing down around her ears. She couldn't save everyone. She could only hope to save most of them. Only those strong enough to endure would be able to survive the coming mission. Thane had been strong. He'd been so strong, even during his weakest moments, and she, for all her bluster, for all her bravado...was weak.

"Thane...

Shepard sat on her bunk, cradling her head between her hands. She performed a locking protocol on her cabin door, preventing any sort of entry. Only then, only when she was certain she was truly alone, did she let the tears fall. Tonight was night. Soon their would be no time for tears. She cradled the memories in her mind, and thought back to hapier times. Soon, there would no time for tears. Only action.

"I'l see you soon." she whispered, contemplated heaven, where he surely must be waiting for her.

But tonight, just for tonight...

_...she would mourn._

**A/N: Flamers will be BURNED! This is a oneshot dedicated to a fictional character and any nastiness will be ignored. YES the letter itself is from the GAME. There's no need to start a bloody riot. For those of you who care, and those of you who HAVE played the game and TRULY enjoyed it, (excluding the odd-ball ending) feel free to leave a review...preferably a nice one.**

**R&R! =D**


End file.
